Legiiiiit wondering if there was some kind of compensation/perk offered to do this. There are some rumors floating today about the top tier show runners being pressured by their agents to back channel with the WGA leadership to try and end the strike. You know, the people who can say that they have hundreds of people on their payroll they need to look after. ...Like Drew.
I think underhanded tactics are mounting to get the top talent to turn on the guilds in the name of "getting back to work". See also, another round of output deals canceled by studios, including The Rock's deal at Warners.
I was texting with Duana the other day and her theory is that she did this to take the heat off Jimmy Fallon - which was funny to me but Duana was actually floating it for consideration. (Drew's best friend, Nancy, is Jimmy's wife.)
I doubt anyone in Hollywood is generous enough to ruin their reputation for someone else. I just don't get it, Drew had so much goodwill on her side. Or maybe that's it, she actually thought no one would ever criticise her.
I am very confused - are there no PR people left in Hollywood? Between the Jonas story, Ashton and Mila’s mess and now this - have most stars gone rogue?
I am a day late in commenting on this so it may not be relevant any longer, but I know someone who was her personal assistant back in the early aughts. He said she was sweet and nice but also very clueless about how she could affect people with her choices. An example he gave was they were waiting to board a flight from NY to LA, and she was perusing the shelves in a Hudson News, oblivious to the boarding time, even with him telling her repeatedly "Drew, we have to get on the plane." She was like "It'll be fine, don't worry!" And when they did finally get on the plane, people went from super annoyed to excited and indulgent, "OMG, it's Drew Barrymore!" She might have bought drinks for everyone, I can't remember.
There has been so much collective goodwill towards her for so long that she may be over-insulated and thought bringing the show back would be no big deal. I am not excusing her by any means, to be clear.
As I said elsewhere, I'm voting for evil shit and against clueless diarrhea, because you don't do something like this without knowing what you're actually doing. It would take some real mental gymnastics to justify to oneself unless you just don't give a shit about the strikers.
As far as I see it, it's simple. Drew Barrymore is a member of SAG-Aftra. She is a union member. Her show is struck work and is being picketed by the WGA. Unions respect other unions. Union members DO NOT cross picket lines. Drew is a SCAB. I will never support her work ever again. Don't believe me? I never watched the Ellen show again after she scabbed during the '07-'08 WGA strike. Solidarity forever.
What do they say, you are the totality of the 5 ppl you spend the most time with?
I don't see anyone in this group telling Drew not to go back on air...
1) Sarah mentioned the theory of a compensation/ perk offer behind-the-scenes from CBS
2) Lainey brings up Nancy J and Jimmy Fallon, le sigh, I don't find them strategic. But I know nothing
3) She's friends old friends with GP, whose brand is no empathy for anyone who isn't cool, monied and Hollywood adjacent
4) Bonus: Stephanie's article is balanced and flawless as usual with her pop culture data analysis
TL:DR: I think Drew is authentically curious and engaging person, who wants to see this show continue and sees herself a building a great environment and platform for celebrities and her staff. But she probs listened to CBS offer her perks to return, + maybe some scare tactics, and her bubble of ppl didn't tell her not to do what she really missed doing. Which was selfish. And surprisingly it backfired.
I am curious about her contract and the pressures that have been exerted financially/legally for her to get back to work. Kelly launched in 2019, and the other hosted shows are very established. With the launch in September of 2020, her negotiations may have looked VERY different. To be clear-no excuse, but I'm curious why someone like Drew, who is established Hollywood, would miscalculate so badly and land on the side of the greedy corporate powers v. writers/actors. Are there penalties in her agreement that could be exercised if she doesn't go back to work?
These are certainly the questions that need answers! I'd really love to be a fly on the wall to get a better idea of the conversations that took place leading up to her making this decision.
What I am wondering is why she would do this at all, no matter what kind of pressure she's under or who is or isn't advising her. Perhaps it my own dyed in the wool support for unions/unionizing that makes me see doing what she's doing as, well, evil. It's not about what kind of advice you're getting, it's about what kind of person you are. This isn't delicate surgery we're talking about here, she's not being forced to make tough choices about separating conjoined twins or something, it's a daytime talk show, and a mediocre one at that. She needs to get over herself, and tell whoever is pushing this to back off.
This is a great point - about it not being so much about the advice as it is about the person you are. It's so damaging for her brand. I think that's why she was trying to highlight the fact that she stepped down from hosting the MTV Awards. Almost to distract us from the fact that she isn't putting her money where her mouth is.
I’ve wondered if Drew was banking on most of her viewers not knowing about the strike. See: audience members who showed up unaware then kicked out for wearing WGA pins. And if that’s the case, that’s a pretty low bar she’s set for her audience.
I honestly cannot believe that there are people who didn't have a clue about a strike being on. Even the dumbest, least informed folks I know still know there's a strike (just so they can complain about their shows not coming back on time etc).
Sometimes I think I'd like to be able to live as cluelessy as some people do. It must be nice.
I’ve never watched the show, so I don’t know if it’s a regular talk show where actors come on to plug their projects, but if it is, why isn’t she worried about prospective guests refusing to appear on her show in the future? (Maybe I’m wrong but I wouldn’t be surprised by a reversal and a mea culpa.)
I feel like this has to have been framed to her as a "sacrifice a few to save the many" idea. And with that frame, I understand why she would consider it. I also think she has garnered a reputation with her show for being a maverick and not doing things by the book, and that's worked out for her so far. So if you put those two ideas together in the cauldron of celebrity, add to it the fact that she's probably not super smart, and then add a big chunk of corporate pressure, I can see how she could make a case for this to herself.
I personally think this was a terrible choice, but I also bet she won't face a lot of ramifications for it. In fact didn't some other shows announce today that they're following suit? Such a shame. Please don't let the corporate overlords win.
I'm writing this note within the framework of DB's recent fracas regarding the working conditions on her show. She seemed to be totally clueless about what was going on which begs the question -- is she some kind of stupid or does she truly not get it? She seems to be tone deaf and have blinders on when it comes to how her actions affect others -- another reader commented on this and I think that it's very apt that she just sailed forth and decided to produce her show in the middle of this strike without any concern for the optics or morals of the situation. As a former PR Agency President, I can tell you that celebrities rarely listen to their PR reps unless it's a crisis situation. They are surrounded by "yes men" who are more concerned about their meal ticket than about doing what's right or strategic and they tend to listen to them first. I call it the last best conversation and for the most part, the posse always gets the last word on how to manage a situation!
Real question: how do these day time talk shows normally hire - specifically, do they typically have WGA writers on staff? I know night time talk shows & scripted shows use WGA writers but I read that Drew’s show only had 3 WGA writers - that’s only 3 of what I assume is a much larger writing staff. So are the rest of her writers non-Union, and is it commonplace for day time shows (and game shows) to hire non WGA writers - hence why they can justify staying on air?
I think she took all the advice and the pressure and everything she was facing, bet on herself and lost. (Though, losing in the long term remains to be seen- my cynicism tell me that give it a few years, she’ll do some other things, and all will be forgiven/forgotten by the majority of people.)
Legiiiiit wondering if there was some kind of compensation/perk offered to do this. There are some rumors floating today about the top tier show runners being pressured by their agents to back channel with the WGA leadership to try and end the strike. You know, the people who can say that they have hundreds of people on their payroll they need to look after. ...Like Drew.
I think underhanded tactics are mounting to get the top talent to turn on the guilds in the name of "getting back to work". See also, another round of output deals canceled by studios, including The Rock's deal at Warners.
I was texting with Duana the other day and her theory is that she did this to take the heat off Jimmy Fallon - which was funny to me but Duana was actually floating it for consideration. (Drew's best friend, Nancy, is Jimmy's wife.)
I doubt anyone in Hollywood is generous enough to ruin their reputation for someone else. I just don't get it, Drew had so much goodwill on her side. Or maybe that's it, she actually thought no one would ever criticise her.
I am very confused - are there no PR people left in Hollywood? Between the Jonas story, Ashton and Mila’s mess and now this - have most stars gone rogue?
Maybe PR is in a silent strike lol. It would explain a lot.
LOL they're all quiet quitting their terrible clients
I am a day late in commenting on this so it may not be relevant any longer, but I know someone who was her personal assistant back in the early aughts. He said she was sweet and nice but also very clueless about how she could affect people with her choices. An example he gave was they were waiting to board a flight from NY to LA, and she was perusing the shelves in a Hudson News, oblivious to the boarding time, even with him telling her repeatedly "Drew, we have to get on the plane." She was like "It'll be fine, don't worry!" And when they did finally get on the plane, people went from super annoyed to excited and indulgent, "OMG, it's Drew Barrymore!" She might have bought drinks for everyone, I can't remember.
There has been so much collective goodwill towards her for so long that she may be over-insulated and thought bringing the show back would be no big deal. I am not excusing her by any means, to be clear.
So today's version of shit or diarrhoea is, 'Is Drew clueless or evil?'
As I said elsewhere, I'm voting for evil shit and against clueless diarrhea, because you don't do something like this without knowing what you're actually doing. It would take some real mental gymnastics to justify to oneself unless you just don't give a shit about the strikers.
As far as I see it, it's simple. Drew Barrymore is a member of SAG-Aftra. She is a union member. Her show is struck work and is being picketed by the WGA. Unions respect other unions. Union members DO NOT cross picket lines. Drew is a SCAB. I will never support her work ever again. Don't believe me? I never watched the Ellen show again after she scabbed during the '07-'08 WGA strike. Solidarity forever.
What do they say, you are the totality of the 5 ppl you spend the most time with?
I don't see anyone in this group telling Drew not to go back on air...
1) Sarah mentioned the theory of a compensation/ perk offer behind-the-scenes from CBS
2) Lainey brings up Nancy J and Jimmy Fallon, le sigh, I don't find them strategic. But I know nothing
3) She's friends old friends with GP, whose brand is no empathy for anyone who isn't cool, monied and Hollywood adjacent
4) Bonus: Stephanie's article is balanced and flawless as usual with her pop culture data analysis
TL:DR: I think Drew is authentically curious and engaging person, who wants to see this show continue and sees herself a building a great environment and platform for celebrities and her staff. But she probs listened to CBS offer her perks to return, + maybe some scare tactics, and her bubble of ppl didn't tell her not to do what she really missed doing. Which was selfish. And surprisingly it backfired.
I am curious about her contract and the pressures that have been exerted financially/legally for her to get back to work. Kelly launched in 2019, and the other hosted shows are very established. With the launch in September of 2020, her negotiations may have looked VERY different. To be clear-no excuse, but I'm curious why someone like Drew, who is established Hollywood, would miscalculate so badly and land on the side of the greedy corporate powers v. writers/actors. Are there penalties in her agreement that could be exercised if she doesn't go back to work?
These are certainly the questions that need answers! I'd really love to be a fly on the wall to get a better idea of the conversations that took place leading up to her making this decision.
Why cover for CBS if so? I’m having cognitive dissonance over Drew Barrymore as a scab. Make it make sense.
Who is advising these people?
What I am wondering is why she would do this at all, no matter what kind of pressure she's under or who is or isn't advising her. Perhaps it my own dyed in the wool support for unions/unionizing that makes me see doing what she's doing as, well, evil. It's not about what kind of advice you're getting, it's about what kind of person you are. This isn't delicate surgery we're talking about here, she's not being forced to make tough choices about separating conjoined twins or something, it's a daytime talk show, and a mediocre one at that. She needs to get over herself, and tell whoever is pushing this to back off.
This is a great point - about it not being so much about the advice as it is about the person you are. It's so damaging for her brand. I think that's why she was trying to highlight the fact that she stepped down from hosting the MTV Awards. Almost to distract us from the fact that she isn't putting her money where her mouth is.
I’ve wondered if Drew was banking on most of her viewers not knowing about the strike. See: audience members who showed up unaware then kicked out for wearing WGA pins. And if that’s the case, that’s a pretty low bar she’s set for her audience.
I've never watched her show, but I do want to see those first few episodes back to see what the producers cooked up.
Who will be the first actor to guest on her show? Who is willing to step in this with Drew after this fallout?
Does she have a lineup of actor friends willing to come on her show to just be there and pointedly NOT promote their work?
Also, I wonder if there are guests that are lined up or have already taped that are trying to back out to avoid this mess.
I honestly cannot believe that there are people who didn't have a clue about a strike being on. Even the dumbest, least informed folks I know still know there's a strike (just so they can complain about their shows not coming back on time etc).
Sometimes I think I'd like to be able to live as cluelessy as some people do. It must be nice.
Yeah this. Like blissfully unaware of the world is something I yearn for when this (gestures at everything) gets too much.
I’ve never watched the show, so I don’t know if it’s a regular talk show where actors come on to plug their projects, but if it is, why isn’t she worried about prospective guests refusing to appear on her show in the future? (Maybe I’m wrong but I wouldn’t be surprised by a reversal and a mea culpa.)
I feel like this has to have been framed to her as a "sacrifice a few to save the many" idea. And with that frame, I understand why she would consider it. I also think she has garnered a reputation with her show for being a maverick and not doing things by the book, and that's worked out for her so far. So if you put those two ideas together in the cauldron of celebrity, add to it the fact that she's probably not super smart, and then add a big chunk of corporate pressure, I can see how she could make a case for this to herself.
I personally think this was a terrible choice, but I also bet she won't face a lot of ramifications for it. In fact didn't some other shows announce today that they're following suit? Such a shame. Please don't let the corporate overlords win.
This woman is so clueless.
I'm writing this note within the framework of DB's recent fracas regarding the working conditions on her show. She seemed to be totally clueless about what was going on which begs the question -- is she some kind of stupid or does she truly not get it? She seems to be tone deaf and have blinders on when it comes to how her actions affect others -- another reader commented on this and I think that it's very apt that she just sailed forth and decided to produce her show in the middle of this strike without any concern for the optics or morals of the situation. As a former PR Agency President, I can tell you that celebrities rarely listen to their PR reps unless it's a crisis situation. They are surrounded by "yes men" who are more concerned about their meal ticket than about doing what's right or strategic and they tend to listen to them first. I call it the last best conversation and for the most part, the posse always gets the last word on how to manage a situation!
Real question: how do these day time talk shows normally hire - specifically, do they typically have WGA writers on staff? I know night time talk shows & scripted shows use WGA writers but I read that Drew’s show only had 3 WGA writers - that’s only 3 of what I assume is a much larger writing staff. So are the rest of her writers non-Union, and is it commonplace for day time shows (and game shows) to hire non WGA writers - hence why they can justify staying on air?
I think she took all the advice and the pressure and everything she was facing, bet on herself and lost. (Though, losing in the long term remains to be seen- my cynicism tell me that give it a few years, she’ll do some other things, and all will be forgiven/forgotten by the majority of people.)
Exactly, she bet on herself.
Uh, she Thought...